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Elvis Presley artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
Thirty-two years after his death, Elvis Presley still attracts new generations of fans who recognize his distinct style, the power of his voice and the inventive exuberance of his performance. Scott Simon gathers friends, fans and critics to discuss how the legend of "The King" has endured over the years.
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A new collection of photos by Al Wertheimer captures that moment in time when a young man from Tupelo, Miss., went from being a regional heartthrob to an international sensation.
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Elvis Presley confidant Jerry Schilling talks about his new book, Me and a Guy Named Elvis: My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presley. When Schilling was 12 years old, he met the teenaged Elvis Presley at a north Memphis pickup football game. As Presley rose to fame, Schilling joined him on the rise, eventually becoming creative affairs director for Elvis Presley Enterprises.
()NPR's Bob Edwards talks with writer Bobbie Ann Mason about her new biography of Elvis Presley, part of the Penguin Lives series. Mason says she started out thinking other people might have better handled the fame Elvis faced. But she finished the project realizing nobody could've handled it any better.
()In this segment, John Ydstie talks with NPR's Jean Cochran, who is at Graceland mansion. She has made a personal pilgrimage to the site to remember Elvis Aron Presley on the 25th anniversary of his death. John also talks with music historian Robert Gordon, who has compiled Elvis memorabilia for a new biography called The Elvis Treasures. Included with the book is a 60-minute CD of journalist interviews with Elvis from over three decades. We hear excerpts and music from the CD. (12:59) The book and CD are published by Villard Books.
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Carl Perkins' 1956 hit song was the first million-seller triple play crossover, soaring from the top of the country charts over to rhythm & blues and then pop. Nick Spitzer pays tribute to the song that jump-started Perkins' career — and became an even bigger hit for Elvis Presley.
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In the first feature on NPR's top 100 musical works of the 20th century, we hear the stories of Elvis' two biggest hits. Released on two sides of the same 45 rpm record, both "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel" rose quickly to the top of the pop charts.
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Elvis has been dead 30 years this August. Jim Nayder, host of The Annoying Music Show, shares some of the worst music performed by Elvis impersonators — and by the King himself.
()Members of Omaha's playful tap-dance pop band Tilly and the Wall talk about their latest CD, Bottoms of Barrels and share some of their favorite recordings. Hear selections from their new album, plus songs and artists that have inspired the band over the years, like the Violent Femmes, The Cure and Elvis Presley.
()"Heartbreak Hotel," hit song that helped launch Elvis Presley's career in 1956, may live on, but the studio where it was recorded is gone. The building at 1525 McGavock Street in Nashville has been torn down to make way for a parking lot.
()Commentator Darlene White remembers going to an Elvis concert in 1976 and becoming a convert to The King. She was a member of the generation that grew up listening to Bob Dylan and the Doors.
()NPR's Alex Chadwick talks with Elvis Presley fan Joni Mabe about "I'm a Roustabout," a previously unreleased Elvis song that's included on the compilation disc Elvis 2nd to None.
()Twenty-five years ago Friday, the world lost the king of rock 'n' roll, Elvis Presley. NPR's Joshua Levs reports on the enduring appeal of Elvis, both for those who remember the rock icon when he was alive and among a new, young generation of fans. NPR Online marks the anniversary with vintage NPR coverage, music cuts including "Annoying Elvis" music, and an Elvis trivia quiz.
()The remix of the 1968 Elvis song, "A Little Less Conversation," is a huge soccer-mania hit in Great Britain. Host Bob Edwards finds the remix has topped the charts, and is part of a Nike advertisement.
()Host Alex Chadwick talks with artist Joni Mabe, to discover how a hard-core Elvis fan mourns the 24th anniversary of the death of the King. (2:36) Visit Mabe's Web site.
()Host Bob Edwards talks with Jon Pareles, music critic for the New York Times. Pareles has logged year after year reviewing holiday releases, and says the Christmas music genre does a good job of representing the wide array of American attitudes toward the holiday. And, while there's a plethora of recordings out there, Pareles says a few notable ones do stand out.
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